bugman9

if the length of the saya is 25.25" or 64cm what would be the placement of the kurigata from the koiguchi ? the sword it goes to is a long wakizashi 21. 8 "... Ivan Crews

how far down from the mouth of a says does the peice what holds the cord go ?

got some books today on Japanese swords... learning & more learning... i dont think theres an end to it soon...

where would i find a sword show around kilgore texas area ? dallas, houston, austin ? point taken... ill have a window ( small section ) polished first just to be sure if it is worth a full polish or not... to answer earlier question, the hammon is clearly visible and the blade is 55.60cm in length not counting the tang...sori is 2cm, nakago length is 14.73cm in length... blade width at machi is 5cm, yokote 4cm... these measurements may be a tiny bit off as all i had to measure was a yard stick ruller... this sword learning is very interesting... i know a katana is longer than a wakizashi but how do you know the diference between a wakizashi and a katana and what measurements determine the difference ?

update... the sword is going to a polisher soo ?n as i find one... any recomendations ? i showed the sword to a Japanese kendo instructor in dallas, he took it apart, looked at for a good while at every angle imaginable, even looked in some places with a magnifying glass, put it back in the saya then gave it back to me... he had a long pause then told me it was muramachi koto sword and that it was in dire need of polishing and said not to do anything to it at all other than a very light coat of clove oil on the blade... he couldnt tell me who might have made it though... and i thought it was just a junk sword...

yes, i am planning on collecting Japanese swords as funds permits... been doing lots of reading on them the past 2 weeks just getting started learning a little bit about the ways they are made so far... i have a lot more studying & learning to do to make sure my money goes into a good old sword... wish they was some shows or something to where i could see up close some Japanese swords in full polish with my own eyes... that would help a lot i think... i have seen some swords at gun shows here that just looks similar to a samurai sword but all have a # or something stamped on the tang and a lock on the thing ya have to push to unsheath it, ww2 i think...

correct me if im wrong, but i thought all Japanese swords had ray skin or something like that underneath the handle wrapings... is the sword worth polishing and is there a polisher that can be trusted to return me sword and would polish it the right way ? who would have been the maker of the sword if it is muromachi koto ?

im new so not sure im posting in the right place or not... i recently aquired a sword given to me by a friend who found it in the basement of a old house he bought along with some old Japanese vases... took it to the college nearby to try researching it & there was an old Japanese man reading... he ask me if he could look at it... anyhow he looked at a while and said it might be shinto from 1500 to 1600, whatever shinto means... any input would be apreciated...